Fashion is important to many people, especially students. Around the high school, many of these students have a specific outfit they wear day to day that makes them feel more confident. This can differ from wearing bright pastels to the darker colors; it all depends on what the person feels comfortable in. As well as that, some students don’t quite know what fits them too well, as they are still trying to find what they think is best for them. Assets like social media can help them find a style or influence them to fully change their design for the sake of others’ views. The peers of the person may also affect how they feel by feeling judged or pressured to find the design. Some who may be new to finding a style will feel judged, or they may not worry about how they feel in their choice of clothing.
Kate Steger, senior, believes she has found clothing that fits her best. However, her style can still change from day to day, depending on how she feels. Steger first began developing her fashion choices in her high school years, and it just clicked for her one day. It has changed a lot with new ideas and trends, and it has made her feel more confident and comfortable with herself. She also tries lots of new styles with her appearance. She said, “I have so many different tastes; I can’t put it into one thing.” Steger added that the app, TikTok, played a significant role by inspiring her to change up her casual attire. She said, “I used to wear leggings or sweatpants and hoodies to school, and still do that sometimes.” She also mentioned that after being influenced, it changed the way she dressed, and her favorite type of outfit now is flowy and fun. Steger also said it feels freeing to be comfortable in her current outfits and the brand she has developed.
Other students may not feel as comfortable as Steger does when she dresses up. Noah Cloven, freshman, isn’t quite as sure about her style as Steger is. She said that she typically wears sweatpants and a sweatshirt with three common colors: pink, grey, and black. When it comes to feeling judged, Cloven said, “I care about other people’s opinions and overthink sometimes if they are judging what I’m wearing.” She added that she doesn’t judge people, so she hopes they aren’t judging either. On top of that, some days she tries to look good for people, and other days she doesn’t care as much. Cloven added that she doesn’t quite know if she has a style, but her day-to-day wear is more of a “clean girl style” or comfortable outfits, depending on her mood that day. The inspiration that she gets is mostly from Pinterest and TikTok, while she also takes in what her peers are wearing and will try to see if it fits her. Her necklace is an example of an item she feels comfortable wearing. She said, “[It] definitely makes me feel the happiest to wear.” While Cloven may not have a defined style yet, she is trying to figure out what will fit her best and continue to grow and discover what she likes. “I would love to try and find a style that suits me best,” she said. It signifies that even though not everyone has a specific preference, it can still be an expression of who they are as they find themselves.
Both of these students have different styles that they choose to wear, and it’s amazing to see how they express themselves through their clothing choices and the way it makes them feel by dressing the way they do. The contrast between Steger and Cloven shows that as students and people grow, many trends change, including finding who they are and deciding to be genuine rather than just making choices for others’ views and opinions. There are many options to choose from when it comes to having a style, and people must just go with what they think is best for themselves, while influences like social media and their peers can help to find what is best for the person and what they are looking for in what they wear.
